this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023
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I assume this can only be collected when connecting your phone plus the app to the vehicle? You lose a lot of functionality if you don’t, but at least it would keep your data private?
Most cars have a mobile antenna that connects to a cellular network to send/receive data, they can access it whenever they want but they want you to pay their overhead so they offer the phone app with the remote control options as incentive to cover their costs of collecting your data and as an added bonus to their profit.
Edit: It should be noted that the phone app also allows for even more information collection that they can sell for yet greater profit.
Many cars connect to the internet via cell, even if the owners didn't specifically pay for that, and many times it can't be disabled.
When my fiancé was shopping for a car a few years ago, I asked the salesperson "so how do you turn off connectivity?" while they were showing off the whiz-bang infotainment systems. Nobody could answer the question, and most didn't understand why anyone would want to turn it off.
I've wanted aeroplane mode for a car since I was a kid.
It just means something different now.
I feel like the next question would be "Now where the antenna?" Seriously if I ever get a modern car im stripping out or smashing damn near half its features. I don't need my car to connect to the fucking cellular network and I never will.
The phone helps get them more data, but they can gather plenty just from the car and its data connection.
The really fun question is - if you elect not to pay for the data plan for your car, will they still enable it anyways because they can make more money selling your information than it costs to maintain a cell contract for the vehicle?
The car can collect data and it can be downloaded when you go to a repair